Football strategy and game apparatus



Feb. 26,- 1935.

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UNITED STATES FOOTBALL STRATEGY AND GAME APPARATUS James ne nm,mman-salem, N. c. Application December 29, 1933, Serial No. 704,545

3.(7laims.

This invention relates to improved game apparatus and method of playingthe same in simulation of the game of football.

My apparatus and method of playing is more than merely a game, as it isdesigned from a technical standpoint .to teach the value of certainplays in regard to the position of the ball on the eld of play, the downand distance to be gained. A number of football games have been devisedwhich involve a football field, a'pack of cards and some chance devicein the nature of dice, a, spinner, or cards played by the ,defense` teamto counteract the offense.

In my game, I have divided the field olf into zones, the zonesconstituting ten'itory between the goal and 20 yard line, the 20 and 40yard line, the 40 and defense 35 yard line, defense 35 and 10 yard line,defense 10 and goal line. The success of the play selected by theoffensive quarterback or player will be largely determined by the zonein which the ball lrests and the down. The offensivel quarterback,knowing the position of the ball and down, will carefully survey thesituation and select a play which, in his opinion, will be mostsuccessful under the conditions of zones and down. A

^ On the opposite side of the card thus selected, I have indicated theresult of the play' based on years of experience and a careful study ofthe Cil `probable success of the play selected under the conditions.

Interposed between the probable yardage gained or lost on the assumptionthat the play is' properly executed, I have placed the results ofimproper execution,` suchas fumbles or other mechanical faults based onthe type of play selected. I feel that under an arrangement of thissort, players can quickly be instructed through the results of theirselections of mistakes made, and that such a game `will be used asequipment for football squads, as well as a game which can be .utilizedin the home to not only give enjoyment to the players, but to instructthe public generally on the finer points of the game.

At the present time, persons attending a football game are prone tocriticise the quarterback for selecting a particular play, especiallyafter such a play has been unsuccessful. Heated debates are had as towhat should be done under .the circumstances. My gamewill give footballfollowers an opportunity to place themselves in the position ofthequarterback and make decisions with resulting success or failure, and atthe same time, teach the fundamentals of proper generalship without theelement of chance being the sole factor.

The object of my invention is to provide apparatus for `playing the gameof football so 4that plays may-be selected in accordance with theposition of the ball on the ield and the down with resulting failure orsuccess thatwill educate the player to the proper type of play to beused'under the conditions, and at the same time, bring to his attentionsome of the hazards of selecting the plays.

Another object is to afford the player the opportunityof selecting theplay without depending on chance, thus cultivating the judgment of theplayer.

Still another object is to reward the quarterback or player for theproper selection of plays under v the conditions of down and position ofthe ball and to eliminate the mere chance element of success.

Another object is to provide a game which will instruct through penaltyor success the proper play under game conditions. y A

Other objects will be disclosed in the specification and claims forminga part of this application.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan of a game board showing a miniature football eld inregard to the playing apparatus and certain rules inconnectiontherewith;

Figure 2 is a perspective of a game piece with flattened sides in theshape of a football and a 10 yard marker;

Figure 3 is a perspective of a set of cards symbolic of an off-tackleplay marked for zones and downs;

Figure 4 is a perspective showing a stack of cards utilized inconnection with the eld goal;

Figure 5 is a perspective of a stack of cards used in connection with apunt;

Figure 6 is a perspective of a stack of cards used in connection with afootball;

Figure 'l is a stack of cards 'used in connection with a kick-off, thisstack not showing the down since there would be no down in connectionwith this play;

Figure 8 is a perspective of a stack of cards used in connection with anend run; and

Figure 9 is illustrative of one play, fragmentary views -being shown of,the playing ield and the forward pass card with a perspective of a lineplay stack of cards, that portion of the cards and eld relating to theparticular play illustrated being shown.

Referring yto the drawings, in which similar parts are designated bylike numerals:

Numeral 10 designates a playing field divided by cross lines 11 into veyard markers 12. Between each five yard marker arev yard lines 13. Ateach end of the eld 10 are double lines 14 indicating the goal line.I'he playing field 10 is divided into iive zones, 1, 2, v3, 4, and 5.Zone 1 extends from the goal to the twenty yard line; zone 2, from' thetwenty to forty yard line; zone 3, from the forty to the oppositethirty-ve yard line; zone 4, from the thirty-five to the ten yard line;and zone 5 from the ten to the goal line.

On one sideof the playing field is a play strip divided into twenty-fivesections, numbered from 1 to 25. It has been found that an average oftwenty-five playswill be actually run in a quarter. Therefore, thisnumber of plays is selected to represent a quarter of a game; in otherwords, as soon as twenty-five plays have been made, regardless of whichside makes them,

the quarter will end on the twenty-fifth play. A marker 16 is placed onthe strip 15 and advanced as each play is made. To the left of the strip15 are placed directions. At both ends of the board are formed carddivisions adapted to receive stacks of cards designated punt, forwardpass, end run, off-tackle and "line play. In these divisions, the stacksof cards are placed under the-respective headings. It is alsocontemplated that on the board in these spaces the names of famouscoaches may be printed with their pictures.

0n the opposite side of the playing field is listed the most commoninfractions of the rules, with the resulting penalties so that a player,as soon as a foul is indicated on the card, may refer to this chart andascertain the penalty.

As actually played, a coin will be flipped, as is customary beforestarting a football game, to determine which team is'to kick-off andwhich to receive. The team electing to kick-off, places the kick-offcards in the kick-off section in front of him, after the cards havefirst been shuffled. 'Ihe cards are placed face down so that the wordkick-off" on the back of the cards will be uppermost. A card is drawnfrom the bottom of the stack and turned over, face upward, on the table.The card, as shown in Figure '1, has in the left hand column 17'thenumbers l, 2, 3, and 4, respectively, representing quarters, andopposite the numbers, the results of the kick-off. -Usingthe card asillustrated in Figure '7, the quarter being vthe first, 'the ball 'isindicated as having been kicked to the five yard line and returned tothe twenty yard line. The team in possession of the ball is referred toas Team A and the defensive team as Team B. The ball is now on thetwenty yard 'line of Team A and the flat sided football piece 18 isplaced on the twenty yard line. The stacks of cards designated punt","forward pass, end run, "olf-tackle and "line play" arenow placed in thesections before the Team A player so that the designated plays areuppermost and Team A player has the privilege of selecting'the type ofplay he desires.

It is to be noted that the ball being on the twenty yard line is in zone2, and any play selected will be governed by this zone. For the sake ofillustration, Figure9 shows two possible plays-a line play card 19having been selected which would be conservative under the conditionsand shows a gain of four yards. On the other f hand, a forward passcould have been selected aat this point, which at this early stage ofthe game,

would probably be extremely hazardous, and, as illustrated by card 20,\would result in the ball being intercepted and a touch-down for Team B.On the other hand, assuming that the player selected the line play,which resulted in a gain of four yards, the cardwould be placed on topof the stack, face down, and the football piece 18 advanced four yards.Team A player would then be called upon to select his next play. Theball is on the twenty-four yard line, second down.

It is to be noted that the piece 18 -has the figures 1, 2, 3, and 4appearing on its faces which corre'spond .to the downs. A U-shapedmarker 20, corresponding tothe sticks used in a regular ganie offootball, is placed so as to. cover ten yards.

Team A player will then glance over the typesof play afforded him,namely, pimt, forward pass, end run, offtackle, l ix'ie play, or fieldgoal, and select the one which in his judgment will be most successfulat this stage of the game. Obviously,

the eld goal would-be eliminated because of the position of the ball. Inall probability, he would select a play with Apossibilities for gainingyards such as "'end run" or "off-tackle plays, with the hope of pickingup enough yardage to make first down, as failure to do so would probablyresult in his electing to punt on the third down. At any rate, h e wouldselect the next play by removing the card4 from the bottom of the stackselected, turning it over on the board, face up, and look to the secondzone for the result of his play. As previously stated, the probabilityof success has been worked out very carefully in accordance with theplay selected, position of the ball, and down. After three plays, and hehas failed to gain ten yards, he must either punt or risk a 'fourth playwhich would be extremely dangerous and unwise with the ball in his ownterritory, and if such a play were tried, would resultv in loss of theball except in very rare instances.

The rules of the game will follow strictly those recognized in footballat the present time and need not be set out at length in my application.

Upon being forced to punt, a punt card will be selected *from the'bottom of the punt stack, the card faced on the board and reference madeto the zone'and down for the result of the play. Figure 5' illustrates apunt card and shows that in zone 2, fourth down, a thirty yard punt wasmade, with the return of ve yards. If the ball had been on thetwenty-four yard line when kicked, the game piece 18 would have beenmoved down to the opponents forty-six yard line, and, with the return offive yards, placed on the kick` yers forty-nine yard line, first down,ten yards to go. The cards are now transferred to the player inpossession of the ball who becomes the A team, and the defensive playerthe B team". It is possible, of course, to use two sets of cards so thatthe transfer need not be made, but my invention, as illustrated,utilizes a single set. 'I'he ball .resting on the B or defensive teamsfortynine yard line, the A player can, of course, resort to more daringplays than was good judgment for the former offensive team to use on itsown twenty-four yard line. He, for instance, might select a forward passon the first play, in which case, using the card as shown in Figure 6 asan illustration, we find the ball in the third zone and incompleted.

A team now has ten yards to make in Athree downs, the game pieceremaining in its former position on the forty-nine yard line of B team.

Team A is now confronted with the problem of team, the U-shaped marker20 corresponding tol the sticks being moved accordingly. '1:

The A player again has the selection of plays and will continue until heeither loses the ball upon failure -to make ten yardsv in fourconsecutive plays, or through punting, intercepted pass, fumble, or someother mishap which commonly occurs in the game of football and which isprovided for in the cards. The game will continue under thecircumstances as outlined until a total of twenty-ve plays have beenmade, which constitutes a quarter, any scores having been made duringthe period being entered up to the credit of the team making the same.

The position of the ball will be changed at the end of the quarter, thesame as in a regular football game, the players exchanging sides. At theend'of the half, the team that lost the toss at the start of the gamehas the choice of receiving or kicking olf, and the ball is put in playas previously described by use of the kick-olf cards.

In case of a touch-down, the team may attempt `to convert the extrapoint by either rushing,

passing, or attempting field goal, the game piece 18 having previouslybeen moved out to the 'second yard line as the rules provide at thepresent time.

It is obvious that other stacks of cards may be supplied than thoseillustrated, such as trick plays, at pass, etc., and may be elaboratedinto various types of formations, such as double-wingback,single-wingback, punt, short punt, and spread formation.

With the beginning of each quarter, the marker 16 is placed on thenumber 1 of the strip 15 and advanced until twenty-five plays have beencompleted. After one hundred plays have been made, the game is over, andthe team having made the most points is the winner. The scoring is inexact accord with the present rules of football.

-From the description of my game, it is apparent that the strategy offootball can carefully be studied and that a premium is given for theproper selection of the play in accordance with the down and theposition of the ball on the eld of play, and penalties given for failureto select `the proper play; that the judgment of the player Ilargelyenters into the success or failure of the game as contrasted with merechance which is playershave their iudgment and knowledge of the gameimproved. Experienced players will gain equal enjoyment in putting theirjudgment against that of the law of averages, as illustrated by thecards.

Numerous variations may-doubtless be devised by persons skilled in theart without departing from the principles of my game. I, therefore,desire no limitations to be imposed on my game,

except such as are indicated in the appended' claims.

What I claim is:

1. A game of football comprising a playing field, in accordance with therules of football, said iield being divided into zones, a plurality ofstacks l being divided into zones, a plurality of stacks of cards, eachcard bearing' on its back the type of play it represents, one of saidstacks designating the kick-olf, the face of the kick-olf cards bearingreference to the quarters and the result of the kick-on for thatquarter, the other stacks referring to the type of play selected, andhaving their faces divided into zones corresponding to the zones of thefield, each zone providing for four downs, andv opposite each down theresult of the play selected based on the position of the ball as to zoneand down on the playing field.

3. A game of football comprising a playing eld in accordance with therules of football, said field being divided into zones, a plurality ofstacks of cards, each card bearing on its back the type of play itrepresents, one of said stacks designating a kick-off, the face of thekick-olf cards bearing refereneeto quarters and the 'result of thekickthe' field goal, the face of the cards beingv limited to zones 3, 4,and 5, the zones corresponding to the zones on the playing'eld, eachzone providing for four downs, the success 'of the play being indicatedopposite each down, the remaining stacks of cards having their facesdivided into zones corresponding to the zones of the field,

off ,for that quarter, another stack representing each zone providingfor four downs, and opposite each down the result of the play selectedbased on the position of the ball as to zone and down on the playingeld.

JAMES DE HART.

